


Life is a Highway

by ChocolateAndRedbull



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Fever, Gen, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Precious Peter Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Tony Stark, Sick Character, Sick Peter, Sick Peter Parker, Sickfic, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, emeto, not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateAndRedbull/pseuds/ChocolateAndRedbull
Summary: His Dad used to get carsick too, May had told him.So who was he to doubt when the two and a half hour trip to the Compound leaves him feeling more than a little queasy?
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 146





	Life is a Highway

**Author's Note:**

> I know this sucks I just had to get it out of my head so I can finish my research essay 
> 
> Comments on how it can be improved are greatly appreciated!

Thirty-five minutes.

_Thirty-five minutes, Pete, you can do it._

He had been counting down since shortly after they started the two-and-a-half-hour drive to the compound and his stomach had begun to gurgle uncomfortably.

His hands were clenched tightly in the pocket of his hoodie as he sat back against the seat and tried to blink the dizziness out of his vision long enough to keep his eyes on the horizon.

He didn’t understand. He hadn’t been motion-sick since the Fall before the bite and May had decided on a whim to drive them to D.C for the weekend to make up for the trip he’d had to miss when Ben died. He didn’t think much about it then, figured May just wanted to get out of the city that killed her husband for a few days. But thinking back on it now, he knew that it was nothing but kindness. She didn’t want Peter to miss out on chances because of things out of his control.

It had been a complete disaster, of course. It had rained from the moment they left. Not just a few scattered showers or anything, but full-on torrential downpours. But May wasn’t going to let that stop her and had stopped at an outlet mall on the way for some food and had returned with two matching cheap raincoats. Peter had giggled at the oversized bright yellow rubber and had smiled toothily from underneath the long hood.

They spent the entire weekend participating in walking tours and trying to not get creeped out by the Martin Luther King Memorial – _I wasn’t scared, May, I just wasn’t expecting it-_ and when it was time for the four-hour trip back to the city on Sunday night, he had found himself so exhausted from grinning and laughing for the first time in months that he had fallen asleep before they were even on the highway.

A car horn woke him up somewhere near Philadelphia and he immediately groaned as the movement of the car jostled his stomach.

“Hey, sleeping beauty, we’ve still got a while to go before we’re home if you want to try and go back to sleep?” May had said softly.

Peter just shook his head and hummed queasily, his stomach contents sloshing around dangerously under his shirt.

“Peter? Sweetie, are you okay?”

Peter had a fist pressed against his mouth as his jaw stiffened. “Pull over,” he mumbled. “May, I feel sick.”

May quickly parked the car on the hard shoulder so Peter could fling open the door and lean out to heave. May cringed as vomit splattered across the packed dirt and her nephew grunted desperately as he hurled. She waited until Peter had stopped retching and sat back against the seat exhaustedly before placing a hand against his sweaty forehead.

“I should have got you some Dramamine before we left,” she hummed. “Your dad used to get carsick too.”

Peter just blinked up at her tiredly.

“How about we get a motel room for tonight? Sleep it off and try again tomorrow?”

Peter swallowed harshly. “I got school tomorrow,” he mumbled.

May huffed out a laugh. “And you’re looking at the person who can call you out sick,” she reminded him, pushing a sweaty strand of hair from his face as his eyes slid shut. “Don’t worry about anything, Petey,” she whispered. “We’re gonna be just fine.”

* * *

Peter came back to his senses like a slap to the face and he was suddenly back in the backseat of Tony’s Audi E-Tron with Clint snoring lightly opposite him and Tony and Natasha bickering quietly in the front seat.

Peter’s stomach rolled and his throat tightened as Tony hit a corner at a frankly ridiculous speed. He was just thinking that he could possibly make it to the Compound without an incident when Tony hit a pothole that shook the entire car with a ‘whoops’ and Natasha whacked his arm with a mumbled ‘prick’.

Peter’s hand flung to his mouth as he swallowed convulsively, and he spoke without meaning to, “Mr Stark?” he said, voice cracking as he caught the man’s eye in the rear-view mirror. “Could we, uh, could we pull over?”

Tony’s eyes widened when he saw the boy’s pale pallor and he immediately pulled off the road and into a rest stop parking lot. “Just hold on, buddy, you’re alright,” Tony insisted. Natasha turned to look at the boy and sat up straighter in her seat. “You’re alright, sweetie,” she encouraged. “Just a little bit longer.”

Peter just whimpered, his leg bouncing up and down as he held his breath in an attempt to keep his lunch in place.

Tony stopped the car and Peter immediately threw the door open and climbed out, landing heavily on his knees with a harsh gasp.

Tony approached the boy slowly, but Peter waved a hand with a cough. “Just-” he belched sickly, “-just give me minute,” he said as he flopped back against the wheel of the car and shoved his head between his knees. “My- my dad used to get carsick t-too.”

“Sure, buddy, take all the time you need,” Tony reassured him. “I’m gonna go get you some water, alright? And see if they have anything for motion sickness?”

Peter just nodded distractedly, his jaw clenching against the nausea in his throat and was acutely aware of Natasha opening the opposite car door and startling Clint awake, dragging him out of the car and towards the store.

A few half-gags later, Peter stood up and folded his hands behind his head, pacing back and forth as he tried to breathe through the almost-overwhelming nausea.

He eventually spotted Clint and Natasha flopped on a bench a couple of feet away and his chest ached with guilt despite the relief he felt that they weren’t pressuring him to get back on road.

When Tony returned, he found the kid curled up in the back seat of the car with both doors open, trembling lightly. Tony opened the passenger door and threw a grocery bag onto the seat. He shook out a trash bag from a roll and gently placed it in the kid’s hand. Peter’s only acknowledgment was tightening his fist around the plastic.

“Alright, kid, I got you some water, some Gatorade, some sort of off-brand Dramamine…” he trailed off as he squinted at the label.

Peter just took a shaky breath.

Tony sighed as he watched the kid swallow harshly, his forehead glistening with sweat. Tony glanced back at Natasha and Clint who were talking quietly and smiled nervously before turning back to the kid.

“Hey buddy, can you sit up for a second?” Tony coaxed.

Peter shakily pushed himself up enough for Tony to slide into the seat and immediately dropped his head down to rest on the man’s lap. Tony sighed as he carded his fingers through the boy’s hair, pausing as he rested his hand on his forehead.

“Oh, buddy…” he murmured. “I don’t think that Dramamine is going to help you much.”

Peter’s eyebrows pinched together in question as Tony rubbed a comforting hand over his arm.

“That’s some fever you got going there, you must be coming down with something bad, huh?” he questioned as Peter’s grip tightened around the bag after a sickly belch.

A couple of tense moments later, Peter swallowed harshly. “We can- we can keep going, I think. I-I should be able to make it the rest of the way.”

“Don’t rush yourself, Pete. Take your time,” Tony hummed.

“It’s fine, I can-” he hiccupped, “I can keep going.”

Tony looked at him doubtfully but nodded with a sigh. “Alright, kid, if you’re sure.”

Peter nodded, slowly sitting up and ensuring that the neck of the bag was open should he need it.

Tony climbed out of the car and nodded towards Clint and Natasha who were still watching from the bench.

As they got settled into the car once more, Tony turned to Peter. “Buddy, if you don’t feel good at all, I want you to say something, okay? We can pull over anytime.”

Peter just nodded tiredly as he leaned his forehead against the window.

* * *

The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful with only two close calls as Tony drove at half his regular speed. It was only as they were entering the Compound’s driveway when Peter whimpered, and Tony immediately stopped for Peter to open the door and throw himself out. Peter grunted as his stomach rolled and he finally _finally_ belched up a mouthful of vomit on to the perfectly manicured lawn.

Tony jumped out of the car and patted the kid’s back comfortingly. “Just get it all up, buddy, it’s okay.”

Peter swallowed compulsively before heaving more productively and splattering the grass with his lunch.

“ _There_ we go, kiddo, that’s it. You’re gonna feel so much better after this.”

Peter just grunted as he heaved again.

Tony nodded to Clint as he sat into the driver’s seat of the car and continued up the driveway to park it in his spot and sat down tiredly on the lawn, pushing his sunglasses further up his nose.

“Just let me know when you’re ready to go inside, kiddo, we’ll get you something to settle your stomach.”

Peter just nodded as his stomach still worked to push its contents up his throat.

* * *

The walk back up the driveway was slow and careful, but thankfully Peter seemed to be all out of puke for now.

Tony held the glass door open for Peter to step inside and smiled at Pepper stood beside the front desk. “Hey, sweetie,” she hummed, “Nat said you weren’t feeling too well, huh?”

Peter just shook his head, closing his eyes as Pepper placed a cool hand on his forehead. “Oh, yeah, that’s a fever alright. How about you go lay down?”

Peter nodded, chewing on his bottom lip as he snaked a hand around his abdomen.

Tony pecked the woman on the cheek, “I’ll talk to you in a bit, yeah?”

Pepper just smiled. “Take your time, make sure he’s looked after.”

Tony winked at the kid. “Oh, I will, don’t you worry.”

Peter just smiled tiredly.

“Let’s go, buddy, your new bed should have been delivered during the week,” Tony hummed, leading him towards the elevator.

* * *

Once Peter had downed a capful of Pepto and was curled up in bed with a bucket at his side, Tony sat down on the bed beside him and switched on the tv, scrolling through the movie options.

“Aren’t, uh, aren’t you going to go back downstairs to Pepper?” Peter asked timidly.

Tony frowned. “Do you want me to?”

Peter’s eyes widened. “No! No, uh, but you, uh, you don’t have to stay here with me.”

Tony smiled down at the kid. “Buddy, relax, take a nap. I’ll be here when you wake up,” he said softly, moving to card his fingers through the boy’s sweaty hair.

Peter, unsure of what to think of his sort-of boss staying with him while he was sick, thought about insisting that he was fine and letting Tony go back downstairs.

But the hand in his hair and the warm presence beside him was nice and within minutes his eyes were sliding shut against his will.

When he woke up, he had to stifle a giggle at Tony snoring beside him, and couldn’t quite bring himself to regret it when even that made him heave over the side of the bed.


End file.
